moth·ball
ˈmȯth-ˌbȯl 
1
: a ball made formerly of camphor but now often of naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene and used to keep moths from clothing
2
mothballs plural
: a condition of protective storage
put the ships in mothballs after the war
also
: a state of having been rejected for further use or dismissed from further consideration
mothballed; mothballing; mothballs
1
: to deactivate (something, such as a ship) and prevent deterioration chiefly by dehumidification
2
: to withdraw from use or service and keep in reserve : put aside
Examples of mothball in a Sentence
Verb
Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.
Recent Examples on the Web
Heather Bien, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2024
There was this great waft of camphor, the mothball smell and these strange furs, fox furs and things like this, and peculiar Austrian artifacts, and collars from my grandfather with Germanic names on it.
—Marc Malkin, Variety, 15 June 2024
Christopher Helman, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
The distillery operated sporadically before being mothballed in 1998 and demolished in 2013.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mothball 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
That's probably why people have put mothballs in their cedar chests for years.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2024
There was this great waft of camphor, the mothball smell and these strange furs, fox furs and things like this, and peculiar Austrian artifacts, and collars from my grandfather with Germanic names on it.
—Marc Malkin, Variety, 15 June 2024
Verb
After being mothballed in 1997, the site became somewhat of an obsession for geologists and entrepreneurs who recognized how much valuable ore remained.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
The distillery operated sporadically before being mothballed in 1998 and demolished in 2013.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mothball
Dictionary Entries Near mothball
Cite this Entry
“Mothball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mothball. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mothball
1 of 2 noun
moth·ball
ˈmȯth-ˌbȯl
1
: a ball (as of naphthalene) used to keep moths out of clothing
2
plural
: protective storage
a fleet put in mothballs after the war
mothball
2 of 2 verb1
: to remove a ship from use and protect from deterioration
2
: to withdraw from use or service and keep in reserve : put aside
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share